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WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 21, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Under a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, a federal court banned three men and their company from the mortgage modification business and ordered them to pay nearly $19 million for consumer refunds. The defendants allegedly deceived distressed homeowners with phony claims that they would negotiate with lenders to modify their mortgages and make them more affordable

June 21, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- On Saturday, June 25, 10 a.m.to 4 p.m., Fairfax County will join with the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance (NVAHA), the counties of Arlington and Loudoun; the Cities of Alexandria and Falls Church; the Town of Herndon; Cardinal Bank, and George Mason Mortgage, to jointly host the Northern Virginia Housing Opportunities Expo, the area’s first annual regional affordable housing expo. The event will be held at T.C. Williams High School, 3330 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22301.

WASHINGTON, DC - June 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A former senior vice president and head of Colonial Bank’s Mortgage Warehouse Lending Division was sentenced today to eight years in prison for her role in a more than $2.9 billion fraud scheme that contributed to the failures of Colonial Bank and Taylor, Bean & Whitaker (TBW). Colonial Bank was one of the 25 largest banks in the United States and TBW was one of the largest privately-held mortgage lending companies in the United States in 2009.

Washington, DC - June 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- As the country struggles economically, the future shape of the mortgage finance system remains a central question, as do questions about Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and role of government in general. The question of how most Americans will finance their housing choices in a post-bubble world hangs in the balance. To consider the choices and help chart a course forward, the National Housing Conference (NHC) will host its annual Policy Summit on mortgage finance reform Friday, June 24, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Columbus Club in Union Station. The event is open to members of the media.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Quicken Loans Inc., the nation’s largest online retail mortgage lender, today announced it has placed in the top-10 of Computerworld Magazine’s “100 Best Places to Work in Technology” study. This is the seventh consecutive year Quicken Loans has been listed in the magazine’s annual survey, ranking among the top-15 each year.

SACRAMENTO, CA - June 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that a grand jury returned a nine-count indictment today against Alonzo Jackson Brown III, 44, of Fairfield, charging him in connection with an investment fraud scheme and a mortgage fraud scheme.

Washington, D.C. - June 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) and the American Association of Residential Mortgage Regulators (AARMR) announced that the Texas Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending (the Department), Mortgage Division, has received a certificate of accreditation for mortgage supervision, certifying that the Department maintains the standards and practices in state mortgage supervision set by the CSBS and AARMR Accreditation Program. The Department is the ninth to receive accreditation for mortgage supervision, and the first non-banking department to receive the mortgage accreditation

WASHINGTON, DC - June 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, a dozen U.S. Senators sent a letter to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) urging the agency to work with State Attorneys General, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to hold mortgage servicers accountable for deficient servicing procedures and improperly foreclosing on homeowners and to develop a comprehensive solution to fix the broken foreclosure process.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - June 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Yesterday in federal court in Minneapolis, a Maple Grove real estate appraiser and a real estate agent from St. Cloud were indicted in connection with a $1.8 million mortgage fraud scheme that involved 28 properties. Ryan Daryl Krutzig, age 31, of Maple Grove, and Jesse Scott Hoffman, age 32, of St. Cloud, were charged with five counts of wire fraud in connection to the scam. In addition, Krutzig was charged with four counts of mail fraud and two counts of money laundering.

Washington, DC - June 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The level of commercial/multifamily mortgage debt outstanding remained essentially unchanged at $2.4 trillion in the first quarter of 2011, decreasing by 0.1 percent from fourth quarter 2010, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) analysis of the Federal Reserve Board Flow of Funds data.

TRENTON, N.J. - June 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Lori Grifa and New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA) Executive Director Anthony Marchetta today urged prospective homebuyers to take advantage of The Road Home New Jersey, a new consumer education tool that will help guide them in the home buying process

WASHINGTON, DC - June 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, a dozen U.S. Senators sent a letter to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) urging the agency to work with State Attorneys General, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and ...

NEW YORK, N.Y. - June 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mortgage rates increased this week, following a nine-week streak of declines. The benchmark conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rate is now 4.71 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.41 discount and origination points.

LANSING, MI - June 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette today announced that he has issued criminal investigative subpoenas against national mortgage servicing support providers in an expansion of his office's investigation into questionable mortgage documentation filed with Michigan's Register of Deeds offices during the current foreclosure crisis.

Las Vegas, NV - June 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A recent report released by IMS Advanced Realty Data Services named The Myers Team the #1 Short Sale Real Estate Team in Nevada. Number one status was determined by actual short sale listings closed in 2010. According to the report, The Myers Team with the Caliber Realty Group has closed more short sale transactions than any Realtor or Broker in Las Vegas. The Myers Team is nationally recognized as one of the most influential figures in real estate today. According to Myers Team owner, Bill Myers, “Surrendering a home worth half of what you owe is NOT a failure, it's a business decision. A short sale is an opportunity for you and your family to take control and walk away free and clear. Nobody wants to lose their home; however, loan modification doesn’t work and there is no need to go down with a sinking ship.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mortgage applications increased 13.0 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending June 10, 2011.

Las Vegas, NV - June 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A recent report released by IMS Advanced Realty Data Services named The Myers Team the #1 Short Sale Real Estate Team in Nevada. Number one status was determined by actual short sale listings closed in 2010.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Nearly three out of four American voters believe that it is reasonable and appropriate for the federal government to provide tax incentives to promote homeownership, a sentiment that cuts across partisan and regional lines across the country, according to a recent poll conducted on behalf of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

WASHINGTON, DC - June 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) offered the Regulation of Mortgage Servicing Act of 2011 as an amendment to the Public Works...

PORTLAND, OR - June 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Jennifer Venable, 29, of Beaverton, Oregon, was sentenced by the Honorable Robert E. Jones of the United States District Court on June 8, 2011, to 5 years’ probation and ordered to pay $15,000 in res...